10 years ago, I would have included Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance which I read around the same time as I read Chaos. But, I'm struggling to remember any of it now. I suspect I've replaced whatever concepts I gleaned from it with new and more evolved thinking.

Or you've internalized them so much you now think they're part of you and no longer associate them with the book?

It's mostly ideas about the word quality.

Either way, if you would have rated it that highly, it's probably worth rereading a decade later, to see what (if anything) you get out of it now. :)

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We are two former teachers who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, and now travel the world full time with two kids.If you want to know more about me, or how we did that, or see lots of pictures, this Business Insider profile tells our story pretty well.We (occasionally) blog at AdventuringAlong.com.You can also read my forum "Journal."

Not to do with finance at all but is somewhat in the vein of worrying less and living a happier life while parenting:Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think by Bryan Caplan

I highly recommend it to all expecting or current parents, and as a gift to friends/family with young kids who seem a bit too stressed for their own good.

Not to do with finance at all but is somewhat in the vein of worrying less and living a happier life while parenting:Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think by Bryan Caplan

I highly recommend it to all expecting or current parents, and as a gift to friends/family with young kids who seem a bit too stressed for their own good.

What an interesting sounding book! My wife and I are thinking of adopting multiples. I think I'll check this out.

Not to do with finance at all but is somewhat in the vein of worrying less and living a happier life while parenting:Selfish Reasons to Have More Kids: Why Being a Great Parent is Less Work and More Fun Than You Think by Bryan Caplan

I highly recommend it to all expecting or current parents, and as a gift to friends/family with young kids who seem a bit too stressed for their own good.

Downloaded, thanks!

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We are two former teachers who accumulated a bunch of real estate, retired at 29, and now travel the world full time with two kids.If you want to know more about me, or how we did that, or see lots of pictures, this Business Insider profile tells our story pretty well.We (occasionally) blog at AdventuringAlong.com.You can also read my forum "Journal."

In addition to many of the already-mentioned titles, I took a lot away from:

Nonfiction:The Power of Positive ThinkingHow to Talk to Anyone, by Leil Lowndes - super practical Alan Watts, The Book - On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are - (easily the most influential book I read on Eastern philosophy)The Brain that Changes Itself, by Norman Doidge - incredible understanding of how we can change our own neural pathwaysEverything written by ethicist Peter Singer, including The Ethics of What We Eat (I'm not a vegan, but his arguments are excellent)Everything written by Michel Foucault, if you are interested in ideas of power and knowledge/ poststructuralist/postmodernist theory and metaphors for societal institutionsThere's also an excellent book capturing debate between Foucault and Noam Chomsky about human natureThe Brighter Side of Human Nature: Altruism & Empathy in Everyday Life - by Alfie Kohn (ps, if you have kids, Alfie Kohn's other works have guided my parenting style significantly: Unconditional Parenting: Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason and Punished by Rewards: The Trouble with Gold Stars...)Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver

I also really like David Brooks works, including Bobos in Paradise, On Paradise Drive, and the Social Animal. All are excellent reflections on American culture, written with intelligence and humor. I re-read Bobos every time I need to reign in irrational spending on "practical" things and want a laugh.

Also, my husband and I have both really enjoyed reading John Gottman's works. Otherwise known as the only scientific study of marriage books out there. The Science of Trust was more meaty (in terms of outlining the research process) than some of his previous work, but we have read all of his books.

Finally, I just read The Other End of the Leash by animal behaviorlist Dr. Patricia McConnell, and it seriously changed the way I interact with dogs! Ha! So "changed my dog life".

Fiction:We, by Yergeny Zamyatin (the lesser known predecessor to a Brave New World/1984/distopian novels)The Phantom Tollbooth, by Norton Juster - just excellent wordplay at its best and opens up creativityThe End of the Affair, by Graham Greene was just an excellent book covering raw human emotion

The End of the Affair - If you have the opportunity to listen to this read by Colin Firth on Audible - Absolutely breathtaking.

book of five rings /living with passion and learning with exelence riches man in Babylon /paying yourself 1stthe wrath of grapes / motivation to work hardmillionaire next door /f@#ck the Jones's and retirement is possible every book wrote by Aldos Huxley

The Magic of Thinking Big and Your Money or Your Life have had a direct measurable influence on my life. I'm very risk averse and The Magic of Thinking Big has really helped take more risk. Not the kind of jumping a motorcycle through flaming hoops, but you know what I mean, stand up for yourself.

Currently I'm reading the 4 hour work-week by Tim Ferris. I feel the book is promoting to think BIG. However in some parts he does this in a way that I don't feel comfortable with. Lying that you are on the phone and that you don't have time to talk to colleagues is something I don't agree with. Lying in general I don't agree with anyway. Still it is a very interesting read and it makes you think outside of the box and that is good. I also like the message about empowerment of employees and people it is conveying.

I'll filter for books that are not only excellent in their own right, but dovetail with some of the best Mustachian insights.

The Economy of Cities by Jane Jacobs. This is a brilliant treatise on human innovation, prosperity, and cooperation. I have never met anyone who wasn't moved by this book. I am convinced Jacobs is one of the most underrated American thinkers of the 20th century. Will change how you view everything from zoning and urban planning, to education and specialization, to the nature of innovation and prosperity, to DIYship versus paying someone else for their expertise.

Zero to One by Peter Thiel. Ostensibly about being a startup founder, really a handbook on how to change the world. Doing things that have never been done, versus replicating established ways of doing. I think the book could be more explicit that some of the most important "startup founders" are doing remarkable, innovative, one-of-a-kind, tremendously valuable work...in their families and communities. It's not captured in GDP and it's not hailed in the newspaper, but the ethos of Zero to One is there for everyone. Start up a book club in your neighborhood. Volunteer for an after-school program or summer sports league. Find your co-conspirators, make deliberate plans, change the world.

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. From a Christian perspective, this book details how wrong we get it when it comes to charity and poverty alleviation. Remarkable combination of quantitative / social science analysis, paired with remarkable anecdotes from their vast experience in the realms of foreign aid, domestic and international nonprofits and charity organizations, and local efforts of churches in the United States to serve in their local community. One of the authors works in the Christian nonprofit realm, the other is a Yale Economics PhD / professor. Impossible not to make the connection between how Mustachian ways of living / doing not only build resilience that allows us to better help those in need, but also models ways of living that allow others to experience the best of life. I care a lot about poverty alleviation (across the social - material - spiritual dimensions of the word) and this book changed the way I view much of it.

The Road to Character by David Brooks. Brooks can be hit or miss (read his NYT columns regardless) but this book is a 99% hit. Learned things about some truly remarkable people. Fundamental takeaway: if developing / strengthening your moral character, virtue, wisdom, and knowledge is not a deliberate effort and priority, you will probably fail in achieving most if not all of the technical, material, or professional goals that you hold dear. Embed yourself in institutions, communities, and processes that will attack your weaknesses and strengthen your character muscles. Commit. We're really good at the competitive / technological / productive development side of our culture, but weak in the dimensions of virtue / commitment / knowledge.

Gardenarian - love your list. One question: I came across an essay by Christopher Alexander in First Things and was profoundly moved. Discovered his work on the web and it's sparked a radical interest in design / architecture / focus on the built environment and how it connects to human flourishing.

Found a PDF version of A Pattern Language online but it's illegible. Amazon only had hard copy for $$$ if I recall...any ideas on how to get a cheap copy of A Pattern Language? Local library? Would love to buy for Kindle if it were available...

When Helping Hurts by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. From a Christian perspective, this book details how wrong we get it when it comes to charity and poverty alleviation. Remarkable combination of quantitative / social science analysis, paired with remarkable anecdotes from their vast experience in the realms of foreign aid, domestic and international nonprofits and charity organizations, and local efforts of churches in the United States to serve in their local community. One of the authors works in the Christian nonprofit realm, the other is a Yale Economics PhD / professor. Impossible not to make the connection between how Mustachian ways of living / doing not only build resilience that allows us to better help those in need, but also models ways of living that allow others to experience the best of life. I care a lot about poverty alleviation (across the social - material - spiritual dimensions of the word) and this book changed the way I view much of it.

Great book. I know Prof. Fikkert and Corbett, and they've led great efforts in my hometown to combine smart finances, poverty alleviation, and simple living.

The Irresistiable Revolution by Shane Claiborne, now 10 years old, blew my mind.

Simplicity Parenting: I consider this a must-read for parents of young children.

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: very popular right now but for good reason.

Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey: great intro to taking control of finances and getting out of debt

The Automatic Millionaire by David Bach: not very mustachian but makes a good case for automating your investments so they take priority.

The Baby Book by Dr. Sears: so grateful this convinced me to breastfeed and attachment parent.

Skinny Bitch: I wouldn't call this book great but it was the book that first introduced me to the idea of vegetarianism/veganism and I took the dare to go without meat. I've been a vegetarian ever since (6 years)

Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents by Octavia Butler. The lead character, Lauren Oya Olamina, is my "What would _____ do?" person now. I wrote a lot about these books on my blog.

Island by Aldous Huxley. This is Huxley's utopian vision for how human society could be. Not much in the way of plot, much more world-building and explanation, but I have never minded that. I still want to live in Pala.

2312 by Kim Stanley Robinson. The most important thing I got from this book is that, as much as I crave for our culture to resolve some of its issues and become more clear and less complex, that is simply never going to happen. Things are going to go on getting more and more complex and weird, and there is a lot to love about that. Again, not much plot, mostly world-building ... but I seem to enjoy that.

Old Man and the Sea--- Hemingway (perseverance, humility, and grit)If this isn't nice, what is-- Kurt Vonnegut (being nice, people are important)Ecclesiastes & Matthew (the nature of life and an impossible but great example of good)The book of five rings (I actually like the graphic novel version by smart comics best) (assigning value, taking command, and evaluating perception) Dialogs of Plato (this will blow your mind you but its hard reading)The Fountainhead--- Ann Rand (being true to your own nature)The day no pigs would die-- Peck (it comes to mind, found it really disturbing in school-- I guess the value of all life is the lesson)Self Reliance-- Ralph Emerson (old pompous language but great message that we all must make our own way)Anything Joel Osteen (PMA with humility)

Many mindfulness and zen books had an important impact like Alan WattsFan of Richard Bach, Dan Millman and the likes.

Hollywood has had the greatest impact. Without a doubt I have learned many lessons in movies-- I could go on and on. Many come from books. I love Hollywood.

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absolute truth... prison guard that has seen shanks does not makes 45k a year managing bullshit tech that was outsourced for what?.... cheaper tech and less taxes... probably

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle maintenance - Robert Persig. A book that deserves a few reads, really influenced my thoughts on living for quality not quantity. The Richest man in Babylon - George Clason. Read this for the first time about 18 months ago and it transformed my life and eventually led me to MMM.Eat and Run - Scott Jurek. Only finished this a week ago but it inspired me so much and has already greatly influenced how I think about my running.

Captain Corelli's mandolin - Louis de Bernieres. A great novel in many ways, I read it for the first time not long after my first visit to Greece and it helped to cement my love for that country and its history.The Dharma Bums - Jack Kerouac. My favorite Kerouac book and it speaks to my heart about how I think we should live and love.

Your Money or Your Life - for obvious reasons. Read it before MMM or ERE.

The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb - changed how I thought about risk. I still randomly think of his example comparing the "safe" office job with an "unsafe" cab driver. Part of my reason for pursuing multiple jobs. I also frequently tell people to stop being so loyal to the companies they work for, and I think this book has a part in that.

The Art of Choosing by Sheena Iyengar - changed how I thought about, uh, choices.

The Blind Watchmaker by Richard Dawkins - set me off on an evolution and general science binge. Years later made me read the original Darwin. I have a much deeper appreciation for nature and the amazing results of evolution because of this.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin - some changes were good, some were bad. Bad was mainly being inspired to run a charity half-marathon. Remind me never to do that again.

Minimalism blogs changed my life (and pissed off The Man), but none of the books I read on the topic seemed worth it.

Mother Night by Vonnegut - specifically the quote "We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful about what we pretend to be."

Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards - proved to me that I CAN draw more than stick figures. I've loved doodling all my life, but was frustrated with my attempts to draw anything real. Anyone who thinks you need natural talent to draw well is wrong. I was truly, truly awful. Look at my progress by the time I had gotten a third of the way through the book:

Above-Average Before - looks like a 2D alien with caterpillars stuck on her face!

Both by Brooks Palmer. I started with his blog then read his books. Despite clutter busting nearly all of my books (I got rid of about 90% of my books after reading the blog and his books), I have kept these two and reread from time to time.

His blog and books literally changed my life. His message is simple: ask yourself with every object "do I love and want to keep this?" and only keep things that are a definite unambiguous yes. Plus, if you really love a sentimental item, why isn't it on display instead of being stashed away in a storage container?

He is a very gentle and caring writer. I found I healed a lot of shame reading his books and was able to get rid of "emotional nuclear waste" from childhood. Sentimental stuff that just made me feel BAD having in the house stashed away in storage containers but that I felt I had to keep because well, I'd had it this long, and well, aren't you supposed to keep all your childhood journals? I got rid of over 3/4 of my stuff after reading his books and I still keep culling. I felt so free and emotionally lighter after getting rid of so much of my stuff! I know everyone goes on about Marie Kondo*, but Brooks helps with healing other parts of your life, not just your physical possessions.

*caveat: I have not read Marie Kondo's book but have read many people's reactions to her books

Both by Brooks Palmer. I started with his blog then read his books. Despite clutter busting nearly all of my books (I got rid of about 90% of my books after reading the blog and his books), I have kept these two and reread from time to time.

His blog and books literally changed my life. His message is simple: ask yourself with every object "do I love and want to keep this?" and only keep things that are a definite unambiguous yes. Plus, if you really love a sentimental item, why isn't it on display instead of being stashed away in a storage container?

He is a very gentle and caring writer. I found I healed a lot of shame reading his books and was able to get rid of "emotional nuclear waste" from childhood. Sentimental stuff that just made me feel BAD having in the house stashed away in storage containers but that I felt I had to keep because well, I'd had it this long, and well, aren't you supposed to keep all your childhood journals? I got rid of over 3/4 of my stuff after reading his books and I still keep culling. I felt so free and emotionally lighter after getting rid of so much of my stuff! I know everyone goes on about Marie Kondo*, but Brooks helps with healing other parts of your life, not just your physical possessions.

*caveat: I have not read Marie Kondo's book but have read many people's reactions to her books

My library has both of his books, which would you recommend that I read first? I have way too much clutter and have been living with it for over a decade. I need to make a change.

It hasn't had time to change my life just yet, as I only finished it yesterday, but "The Upside of Stress" by Kelly McGonigal spoke to me in a pretty powerful way that already has me feeling much more peaceful and hopeful.

Born to Run - Not only did this book get me to start running again after a many year hiatus, it helped me embrace minimalism in all aspects of my life. It was also the first time I'd heard of ultrarunning, and opened my eyes to what the human body is capable of.

I advocate for his capstone book "Antifragile." I just finished it a couple weeks ago but I believe that it could be the most important book I have ever read. Many of the concepts he discusses put meat on ideas that I have thought intuitively but have not been able to fully integrate into an overarching theory. Fragile vs. antifragile, things that gain from chaos as opposed to things that are simply robust, barbell strategy, skin in the game, etc. He also discusses domain dependence and the contribution of stoic philosophy to his ideas.

Best quote (paraphrased): "Many people ask what is the difference between Buddhists and Stoics. A Stoic is a Buddhist with attitude, one who says “F*** Off” to fate.”"

I like many of the books above too but Antifragile is the best not listed.

Another must read - perhaps not life-changing - is "Sapiens: A brief history of Human Kind" by Harari. It has the best ever concluding sentence of a book. You have to read all the way through for it to have such a punchline but I promise it is worth it.

"Four Hour Work Week" by Tim Ferriss... even though I ended up being an employee anyway, and the side hustle game is not for me, it really helped develop my inclination to challenge assumptions

+1 for this, it really helped me appreciate the importance of my time, which is probably ultimately what made me decide to pursue FI

Also, I didn't see "Power Of Habit" by Charles Duhigg yet. Not really a finance book, but it def helps you realize your spending habits. "Don't Throw That Away" by Jeff Yeager is a great one, and has some really awesome tips in it to save money

After closing on our house our realtor sent us a copy as a gift. This was a year and three months ago. Changed our lives forever. We paid off $38,000 in debt the first year. Only debt left is house and student loans. We will be debt free (other then our house) in one year. We now have a plan in place to pay off our house and and be FI in 10.5 years(ish). I'm 30, wife is 28. Completely changed how we spend our money, helped our marriage, and make us realize there's much more to life then consumer garbage.

FI taught me I needed to build a pile of FU money so I could live a lot more purposefully. Aside from this website, these books changed my life:"Early Retirement Extreme" http://amzn.to/1XJXCtc"Your Money or Your Life" http://amzn.to/1U4X7Mg

1. The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman2. A Country Year: Living the Questions by Sue Hubbell3. The Beekeeper's Lament: How One Man and Half a Billion Honey Bees Help Feed America by Hannah Nordhaus4. Home Town by Tracy Kidder5. The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway6. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver7. The Gift of Pain by Paul Brand8. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson9. The Life & Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson10. The Shadow of the Sun by Rysard Kapuscinski

The Black Swan by Nassim Taleb - changed how I thought about risk. I still randomly think of his example comparing the "safe" office job with an "unsafe" cab driver. Part of my reason for pursuing multiple jobs. I also frequently tell people to stop being so loyal to the companies they work for, and I think this book has a part in that.

I advocate for his capstone book "Antifragile." I just finished it a couple weeks ago but I believe that it could be the most important book I have ever read. Many of the concepts he discusses put meat on ideas that I have thought intuitively but have not been able to fully integrate into an overarching theory. Fragile vs. antifragile, things that gain from chaos as opposed to things that are simply robust, barbell strategy, skin in the game, etc. He also discusses domain dependence and the contribution of stoic philosophy to his ideas.

Best quote (paraphrased): "Many people ask what is the difference between Buddhists and Stoics. A Stoic is a Buddhist with attitude, one who says “F*** Off” to fate.”"

I like many of the books above too but Antifragile is the best not listed.

I second the recommendations for Antifragile and The Black Swan (my review is here). I would also add the first book of the Incerto series--Fooled By Randomness (which I also reviewed here). These are all books that really make you change the way you think about risk and uncertainty.

Fight Club by PalahniukMan's Search for Meaning by FranklOld Man and the Sea by HemingwayVelvet Elvis by BellThe Bridge to Terabithia by Paterson (Favorite as a child)

Whether is was the story that stuck, some underlying meaning, or just enjoyment from reading. I could read all of those again. Books that have changed my life because DW read them are a different story.

Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'Brien and The Stand by Stephen King affected me greatly as a youth, I used to read The Stand every summer for a few years. I loved to imagine myself in those scenarios--both books are post-apocalyptic stories of individual survival.

The Millionaire Next Door was great, too. it is a post-apolcalyptic story of individual survival: the whole world has gone blind to their wild consumerism but a few brave souls are hidden in the midst, chunking away their cash to buy their freedom. You can tell them by their Mustaches.

I read the Book of Five Rings graphic novel as recommended.I'm unsure of whether it's beyond my grasp, but my opinion is that it is purposefully opaque Eastern mysticism. There is a certain simplistic beauty. In any case, I cannot recommend it as others have.Will start Thinking, Fast, and Slow, by kahneman today.Looks more promising.

I second so many of the recommendations already given, especially: * Punished By Rewards by Alfie Kohn * Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman * Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards

One book I haven't seen in the thread yet that was very impactful for me is Why We Do What We Do by Edward L. Deci. His name kept coming up in other books as a reference, I couldn't get his original publications (paywalls), but I could get this - and wow! It baffled me to read some of the reviews people left for this book, especially the claims that it was boring. Maybe everyone else already learned how to understand themselves and others and I'm getting to the game late, but I was engrossed from cover to cover.

This is a fantastic thread idea, I'm looking forward to reading more of the recommendations.

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan -- one of the factors in my finally making the leap to becoming vegetarian over 10 years ago.

Mindset by Carol Dweck -- the author theorizes that some people believe their capabilities are innate and therefore fixed (the "fixed mindset") and other people believe capabilities can be learned (the "growth mindset"). Thus, people with the fixed mindset will have a greater fear of challenges and revealing their weaknesses, whereas people with the growth mindset will view challenges and even failure as part of the learning process. And if my my recommendation isn't enough for you, here is a review of the book by Bill Gates https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Mindset-The-New-Psychology-of-Success. :)

The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan -- one of the factors in my finally making the leap to becoming vegetarian over 10 years ago.

Mindset by Carol Dweck -- the author theorizes that some people believe their capabilities are innate and therefore fixed (the "fixed mindset") and other people believe capabilities can be learned (the "growth mindset"). Thus, people with the fixed mindset will have a greater fear of challenges and revealing their weaknesses, whereas people with the growth mindset will view challenges and even failure as part of the learning process. And if my my recommendation isn't enough for you, here is a review of the book by Bill Gates https://www.gatesnotes.com/Books/Mindset-The-New-Psychology-of-Success. :)

I read the Mindset one recently and it was very interesting.:) It made me think about how I have absorbed the messages I was given from my parents and teachers and taken them into my adult life.

Im on Catch-22 now. I have had the audible for a while and just never got around to it. I like what I have heard but it strikes me a book that is difficult to follow on the road. It could be the reader. I might need to go print version.

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absolute truth... prison guard that has seen shanks does not makes 45k a year managing bullshit tech that was outsourced for what?.... cheaper tech and less taxes... probably